We propose to create a Child Health Research Center (CHRC) devoted to Molecular and Cellular Approaches to Human Development. The CHRC will consist of Established Investigators, Consultants, an Administrative Core and a Laboratory. There will be 16 Established Investigators, 8 from pediatrics and 8 from other departments Pharmaceutical Chemistry; Neurology; Microbiology; Laboratory Medicine; Physiology; Anatomy; Ob/Gyn, and Cell Biology Together with the Principal Investigator and Core Laboratory Director, these investigators will constitute the Advisory Committee. That Committee will select Pediatric Junior Faculty Grantees who are less than 3 years from the completion of fellowship for CHRC support. CHRC Grantees will work in the Core Laboratory and in the labs of the Established Investigators. This will facilitate the development of Pediatric Junior Faculty into independent investigators studying molecular and cellular developmental biology. The center will also facilitate the transfer of newer techniques of molecular and cellular biology into the labs of the Pediatric Established Investigators and others in the Department of Pediatrics. The Core Laboratory will be equipped with all the basic tools and equipment needed for Junior Investigators to learn and hone their skills in molecular and cellular biology, and will provide an opportunity for these Junior Investigators to initiate and develop new projects. The Core Laboratory will be staffed by the Core Laboratory Director and a technician. The Administration of the CHRC is under the Principal Investigator and Department Chairman and the Program Director who are assisted by a CHRC Administrative Assistant and a Minority Recruitment Officer. The proposed UCSF CHRC will have an outstanding pool of potential applicants. The UCSF Department of Pediatrics currently has 15 junior faculty who are less than 3 years from fellowship, and 17 other positions are to be filled. The University and Department are supporting the proposed CHRC with substantial funds for renovations and salaries, as well as space, and commitment of resources. The UCSF Department of Pediatrics already has an outstanding track record of training junior faculty for careers in academic pediatric research; the proposed CHRC will build and expand upon this tradition.